Third-seeded Richmond holds off rally to advance to A10 semis with 77-72 victory over UMass

Gonzalvez scores 15 as Richmond beats UMass 77-72

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — David Gonzalvez scored 15 points and Richmond held off a frantic late rally by Massachusetts to post a 77-72 victory in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament on Friday night.

Conference player of the year Kevin Anderson and Ryan Butler each hit two free throws in the final 31.2 seconds after the Minutemen twice cut a 17-point lead to four points.

Butler and Kevin Smith finished with 14 points and Anderson and Justin Harper had 13 as the third-seeded Spiders (25-7) advanced to a semifinal showdown against No. 24 Xavier on Saturday at Boardwalk Hall.

The second-seeded Musketeers rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Ohio rival Dayton 78-73. Xavier beat Richmond 78-76 in double overtime on Feb. 28.

Anthony Gurley matched his career high with 24 points and Ricky Harris had 19 for the 11th-seeded Minutemen (12-20).